Baseball Memories

Earlier today, a grand voice was silenced. Dave Niehaus, the longtime broadcaster for my hometown baseball team the Seattle Mariners, died of a heart attack. I was moved, and saddened, by his passing. I got a little nostalgic, and remembered times past, when I loved baseball.

When I was 9 years old, my hometown baseball team the Seattle Mariners actually made it almost to the world series, the first time in their history they had even made the playoffs. This sparked an interest in baseball that lasted for several years afterwards. I would practice my pitching, throwing tennis balls against the front porch. I would play when I could, whether if was a pickup game or just hitting balls out of the front yard with an old baseball bat. I even wanted to be a professional baseball player, to be the best pitcher in the major leagues.

When I was 11 or 12, I started spending time with Bill, the cranky (not that much) old neighbor who lived down the block. He always watched the Mariners games, and I would go over to his house and watch them with him. I think he liked the company too. Bill died in October 1999, and I stopped watching for awhile. Then 6 months later, I started working for Carl, another old guy who had moved in at the condo building next door. Every day, I would take his dog out for a morning walk, then chat with him for awhile. During baseball season, I watched  the Mariners games with him most evenings. I didn't watch the whole game, but he, like Bill, enjoyed the company.

Carl died in 2003, when I was 17.

After that, my baseball affection began to wain. I wasn't quite as interested in it as I had been. The bat sat in the closet. The old glove I had stayed on a shelf, collecting dust. I moved on to other things, other activities. I stopped watching the Mariners games; the team sucked anyway.

However, I still remember those people, and the games. The evenings spent drinking root beer and watching the teamwork, the double plays, the grand slams, the amazing catches made by the Mariners. I still have a spot in my heart for those memories, to keep them safe.
My oh My!